territorial waters

plural noun

: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters

Examples of territorial waters in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Later on Thursday, the Venezuelan government issued a statement saying the aircraft had been detected 75 kilometers (about 46 miles) from its coastline, miles away from standard territorial waters which are typically 12 nautical miles from the coast. Michael Rios, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2025 China, which views Taiwan as its own territory, says the strategic waterway is part of its territorial waters. Reuters, NBC news, 13 Sep. 2025 Nor does the right to life change depending on whether killings took place in territorial waters or on the high seas. Mary Ellen O'Connell, The Conversation, 4 Sep. 2025 The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has justified the order on national security grounds and concerns that Revolution Wind will interfere with other uses of U.S. territorial waters. Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for territorial waters

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of territorial waters was in 1841

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Territorial waters.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/territorial%20waters. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.

Legal Definition

territorial waters

noun plural
territorial wa·​ters
: the waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state including both marginal sea and inland waters

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